Eva - lution

If you could ask your cat or dog any question, what would it be?

2010-10-08T00:46:00.001-05:00

A very long post without pictures!!
I know that we’ve been gone for a long time but between work, dog classes, rescue transports, business trips and trying to have a family life, blogging has not been at the top of our list. But something so interesting happened that we have to share.

For many years, I’ve been interested in using a animal communicator to talk the fur-kids but was concerned about finding someone who appeared to really be able to do it and not be a fraud. I came across the blog of a fellow “Belgian” person who has used the same one several times. There was a lot of detail given and I thought “Why not?”

So I contacted the animal communicator that she had used and set up an appointment. I prepared my list of questions and was ready when the appointment time came.

How it works – Sometimes it is done in person but usually it is done over the phone. No, I didn’t hold the phone up to Eva and Brice’s ears but the phone was used for the Communicator and I to talk. The only information that she was given in advance was their names, their breed and the city that we live in. She connects telepathically with the animal, gives me some information to confirm that she connected to the correct dog and then the questions/answers begin. The communication between the communicator and the subject is non-verbal- mostly images, emotions, sounds, smells etc.

This is not a exact transcript but a lot of paraphrasing. The communicator is shown as C, I’m shown as M and additional information for you is ()

The communicator made contact with Eva. Her connection with Eva is very low-key

C- Oooh! She's a very polite young lady. Not a pup and not old (Eva is 6 yrs old)

M -What scares Eva ?

C- a big burly man with big mustache and ruddy complexion that laughed like Santa but mean.
Seemed like a stereotypical biker dude. Very loud . Eva kept saying that he’s scary! He’s very scary!

M - Is this current, in the recent past or before she came to live with us?

C- There are lots of dogs around, more than two. Before she came to live with you

M - We found out after we got Eva that she was potentially from a puppy mill or her parents were(long story). Was it a puppy mill situation?

C- Not like a warehouse situation but there were a lot more dogs but not all looked like her - Not all puppies but not all adults. Seems like there were maybe six different breeds.

C- Eva doesn't like other loud noises - storms, fireworks, nail guns. If we re-roof the house, we need to take Eva somewhere else during that time. The loud noises coming from overhead will really freak her out.

C- But she wants you to know that she feels safe with you

M - Does it help when we give her a pill, some liquid and put her shirt on? (Eva has a tight fitting t-shirt to wear during storms and she gets Rescue Remedy and a children’s Benedryl to help her cope. Otherwise she is a trembling drooling extremely clingy girl)

C- She likes the shirt. Really likes her shirt. Not sure of the pill or liquid(side discussion to make sure that we don't give her ACE). She knows when the storm is coming before you do.

M- Is there something that I can do to make her feel safer?

C- Not that she is aware of. Just keep telling her that she is safe or thinking that she is safe. She can hear you when you’re thinking. Eva knows that we would never let anything hurt her.

M- Does Eva ever see Tasha? (Tasha crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2008)

C- She sees a dark dog more but Tasha does look in on us once in a while. The dark dog looks kind of like her but darker.(The communicator described Tasha's tail and color. That her white chest was very striking) (Tia was a black with tan legs shepherd/husky but crossed the Bridge before Eva joined our family so Eva did not ever meet her)

M- Does Eva like going to the dog park?

C - No, too many people and dogs. (The image that the C had given Eva was of a smaller park where it can be really crowded. I explained that we only go to very large dogs parks and do not stay near the gate but walk the trails.)

C- She's OK when nobody else or just a few dogs/people are at the park and she can just run with Brice. But she's just happy being with you and wants to go places with you.

M - What does Eva think of Brice?

C- He's silly! He's goofy! He's very brave but she doesn't think that he's very bright.

M - Healthwise - does anything hurt or feel uncomfortable?

C - When she runs a lot, her left hind leg gets tender. Not her hip or her knee. More lower back/sacrum area. (Suggested a chiropractor may help)

C – Eva loves when you rub the right side of her neck from her ears to her shoulders.

M- Tell her that Daddy will be home this weekend.

C- Eva said that she knows. You think it all the time.

When the communicator made contact with Brice it was very upbeat, full of giggles and laughing

C- He bounces. He keeps saying "I bounce"

C- Brice has a very healthy ego. He thinks that he is all that! He thinks he's funny. Very different personality than Eva, Brice is very outgoing and "in your face"

C- The communicator asked if Brice is still intact (No) said that he did not lose any of the attitude when he was snipped.

C- What is his job? He needs a job. He’s making up his own jobs around the house because he doesn’t know what his job is.(suggestion given that it is his job to protect the doors and windows and can bark but only at people or dogs that he has not seen before)

M - (Discussion that I would like to compete with Brice in obedience, agility or rally)

C- He thinks obedience class is boring. Do the same thing over and over again. He already know how to do those things.

M- Which would he prefer to do?

C- very excited about doing agility. He loves to jump.

C - (told him that he needs to be polite and do what I ask him to do in order to show everyone how smart he is and then he can earn the right to train in agility)

C- Make sure that Momma keeps talking to me in her head. I can hear her. Then I won't get worried when she stops talking out loud.

M- Does Brice get queasy in the car?

C- A little but only when there is a lot of stop and go or variance in speed. On the highway, he's fine.

M - Did Brice like daycare?

C- They thought I was very nice

M - But didn't you get in trouble and that is why you don't go to daycare anymore.

C- The other dogs needed someone to tell them where to go. If I didn't do it, no one else would. (He got in trouble for trying to herd the other dogs and some dogs reacted negatively to it)

M - Healthwise - does anything hurt or feel uncomfortable?

C- His back can get a little "ouchy" when he jumps too high, twisted or often for his flying squirrel. (he gave the image of him being straight up and down)

M- Why does he get a little growly?
(Communicator said she wasn’t getting any images of him rally growling, I said that it usually happens when someone or Eva walks near him when he’s laying down or walking into a dark room when he’s sleeping. We never took it as aggression, more of just a way to communicate)

C- He's just talking and saying "watch out, I'm here". Before us, sometimes he was around too many dogs and they would get too close, push him or he would get stepped on. If he felt that we needed to be defended, it would be a very different tone.

M – what does Brice think of me (since I’d like to compete with him, I wanted to know if he thought of us as equals, if I was the leader etc)

C- not a specific answer but he gets very “mushy” when it comes to you.

M- Tell him that Daddy is coming home this weekend.

C- Brice got excited and talked about rolling around on the floor with their daddy

This ‘meeting’ gave me a lot to think about – much of it, I already knew or thought but I learned a few things. The pups will be seeing a chiropractor to see if we can address Eva’s left hind leg issue and if Brice needs any adjustments.
Will we do it again? I’m hoping to make this an annual appointment but will probably do a follow-up appointment in a month or so. I thought of so many other things that I’d like to ask or get additional information on.

We're still here

2010-06-02T18:30:00.003-05:00

Sorry that we've been gone so long. Momma was abducted by aliens and was just recently returned.

Meanwhile it's be a lot of our normal activities - going to the park, playing in the pool and going to daycare.

The other day at the park someone asked if we are long-haired greyhounds. Momma is still speechless.

I may be skinny(when wet) and fast but I an 100% Belgian.

I've also been expanding my redecorating skills and exploring the concept that everything is edible. There may be pictures coming soon.

Brice

Warning!

2010-05-01T20:58:00.000-05:00

Warning!

If you get an email that appears to be from us, it's not.

We just received a non-family appropriate email in our inbox that had the
"ep_tasha_eva" name but linked back to a different email address.

example - "ep_tasha_eva" xxxx@xxx.com

Sorry for the inconvenience.
Princess Eva @ Brice

Word on the street...

2010-03-22T00:10:00.003-05:00

is that we may be ready to re-enter the blogging world. No, Momma still hasn't designed our website that she promised us but we'll just be happy to be back.

In the meantime, here is a video from a few weeks ago. Apologies to those who may have already seen it on Facebook.

Woof ya soon!
Princess Eva & Brice

Barkday at the Dog Park

2009-12-22T19:50:00.003-06:00

First - we apologize for our assistant's lack of time management skills. For some reason, she seems to think that blogging is not at the top of her list of things to do.

Second - thanks to everyone for my barkday wishes!!!

Here are some of the videos and pics that Dad took when we went to the dog park on Monday.

We had the park to ourselves

Princess Eva always has a thick coat but during the winter, she has enough fur for at least two more dogs

Brice likes to get snow on his snooter

Silly Dad actually thought that he needed to ask if we wanted to go to the park

Doing Zoomies!!

And more Zoomies. Brice and I usually zoomie in circles because he's faster so he runs bigger circles than me.

Thanks for stopping by. We're going to sit on Momma until she visits each your blogs.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice

Eva's Barkday!!!!

2009-12-21T06:52:00.003-06:00

Today is Princess Eva's 6th birthday!!!!!

Sadly, Momma is at work so she can't help us celebrate but Dad stayed home with us today. We know that there will be special treats involved but not sure what else.

We hope to be back later with a more current picture if blogger will cooperate.

Another star will shine tonight

2009-12-14T09:00:00.004-06:00

After living a long and much loved life, Khyra's sibe-sister, Kyrye, has made the journey to the rainbow bridge. Kyrye did not have her own blog so please go to Khyra's blog to offer your support during this difficult time.

We'll be lighting a candle tonight in Kyrye's honor and watching for her star.

Message From Valhalla

You were with me to the very end and even after I had "gone" you held me,
and as my soul left my body and I looked down and saw you crying,
I wanted so much to tell you that I understood. You did this for me.

I tried to tell you in my own way that it was time for me to leave,
and I thank you for understanding. No other will take my place,
but those I left behind will need your love and affection as I have had.

You still think of me, and there are times you try to hide your tear-filled eyes....
but please...be happy and think not of sadness,
but of how I made you happy and made you laugh at the funny and smart things I did.

There are no fences in Valhalla, for no one has the desire to "dig out".

There are no thunderstorms in Valhalla, therefore fear is never present.

There are no fights in Valhalla. Everyone is congenial.

There is no hunger. There is no thirst. There is much to explore.
Many of us who are older take care of the little ones and guide them.
It's fun watching them run with their ears flopping and their curly tails wagging.

We have four seasons in Valhalla, and most of us agree, winter is our favorite.

So you see, my loved one, I am very happy...

When it comes time for my friends to leave,
I will meet them at the gates of Valhalla,
and I will acquaint them with this beautiful and serene place,
and I will take care of them for you.

Thank you for loving me, caring for me, and having the courage to let me go with dignity.

Jane S. Morris

This is a wolfhound? Are you sure?

2009-11-20T22:18:00.006-06:00

It was down to the wire but the transport list from our last post has been filled. Here are three of the pups that Momma will be driving. She'll have one more but not sure which yet.

Dorian - a very small wolfhound mix

Her brother Creed

Lilly - a shepherd mix

We are planning to return to the blogging world but aren't sure when. We have some major changes going on - a blog redesign, possible new site and Momma gave us the devastating news that she is quitting as our unpaid doggy nanny & resource manager and is returning to the corporate world. To hold you over until we return, here is a picture of me practicing one of my napping positions.

Woof ya later,
Bricey

p.s. Princess Eva prefers to nap in her cave (kennel) which does not allow for napping pics.

Please help!

2009-11-17T22:47:00.002-06:00

I know that we have a lot of anonymous readers in MN and Iowa.

We really need your help.

If any of you do rescue transports or would like to donate your time to help save lives by transporting dogs and puppies from Missouri to no-kill shelters in Minnesota , please contact me at ep_tasha_eva@yahoo.com and I will connect you with the transport coordinators that I work with. All that you need is a few hours of your time and a vehicle and in return, you get the warm fuzzy feeling that you helped save a life.

We usually don't blog about our volunteer efforts (we save that for Facebook) but there are two large transports for a total of over 50 dogs coming up from Missouri shelters this weekend and there are not enough drivers. If more drivers are not found, these transports will fail and the dogs and puppies will be left in the shelters for at least another week.

Transport driving is very easy and the feeling that you get from helping save these dogs is very rewarding.

Here are some of the transport legs that need to get filled.

Beginning Location - Ending Location - Drive Time - # Miles - Scheduled Transport Time

Saturday

St Louis, MO to Warrenton, MO 1 hour 3 minutes 57.8 Miles 11:15 AM – 12:20 PM

Warrenton, MO to Columbia, MO 1 hour 5 minutes 69 miles 12:55 PM – 2:00 PM

Columbia, MO to Marshall Junction, MO 48 minutes 51 miles 2:30 PM to 3:20 pm

Sunday

Olathe, KS - Bethany, MO 1 hour, 25 minutes 90 miles 8:00 am to 10:00 am

Bethany, MO – Des Moines, IA 1 hour 47 minutes 104 miles 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM

Des Moines, IA – Clear Lake, IA 1 hour 43 mins 113 miles 12:50 pm to 2:45 pm

Clear Lake, IA – Owatanna, MN 1 hour 4 mins 70 miles 3:15 pm to 4:20 pm

Owatanna, MN - Bloomington/Brooklyn Center 55 minutes 55 miles 4:50 pm to 5:50 pm

(This is the transport leg that I drive and I'll be helping save 2 wolfhound mixes and a shepherd mix but if you have a small vehicle, there are lots of little dogs on this transport too)

If you live along this transport route and can help, please let us know.

Princess Eva, Bricey and their Momma

On vacation

2009-10-26T12:13:00.002-05:00

Due to an issue with our regular laptop, we're taking a blog vacation for a while. Momma's old laptop has been dusted off but it runs really slow. We'll try to get access to read your blogs but we may not be able to comment and hope to be back with a new post in a few weeks. Please don't forget us!

Playtime

2009-10-20T23:00:00.000-05:00

We decided to do a little belgian wrestling.

But then somepup had to go whining to Momma that I was playing too rough!

Snow Day

2009-10-12T12:44:00.004-05:00

It started snowing early this morning and is suppose to continue all day. We love to play in the snow so we turned our puppy-dog eyes to Momma and she resisted. Brice knew what to do - he started shaking pillows and shredding paper and she caved! Loaded us up and off we went to our favorite dog park.

We're hoping for another trip when Dad gets home from work.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva

Do you see what we see?

2009-10-10T08:18:00.002-05:00

It's not much.......

It will be gone before long........

But our first snow of the season......

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva

Raining!

2009-10-06T13:45:00.001-05:00

It's been raining everyday but we did sneak out to the park during a break in the rain.

Woof ya later!
Brice

You can see or you can hear. Pick one!

2009-10-02T19:33:00.004-05:00

Dad told us to stop wrestling on the couch cause he couldn't hear the TV.

Is this better?

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-30T15:45:00.003-05:00

Momma was tired of our fur showing on the boring foyer rug. So she got us one that matches our personalities and our fur.She tried to find a cheetah print that would match Eva's crate pad but had to go with tiger stripes.

Woof ya later!
Brice the Big Game Hunter

Dog CPR

2009-09-24T22:45:00.001-05:00

Since not everypup can use our PSA from our earlier post, we found the following video for how to do pet CPR.

Since our mom could panic in this situation, she practiced finding our pulse today.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva

Lazy Rainy Days and a PSA

2009-09-24T11:30:00.000-05:00

We've had a few gray & rainy days so we have not had any adventures in the past few days. Momma got tired of rescuing the sofa pillows from me so she put them away. That made me so sad because I love to shake them! Meany Momma told me to settle down and take a nap. Thankfully, I'm big enough to use the arm of the sofa as a pillow! But the sun is shining today so I'm nipping at Momma's heels to take us to the park to run off some pent up energy.

In the current economy, we wanted to share with you several ways to save money on some of your medical needs. We do like to shop local and support our vet, but there are times that getting medications at our vet cuts into our treat and toy budget. Were you aware that many of your dog and cat prescriptions can be filled at a regular pharmacy for less? There are online options too but they would include a shipping cost. Plus the convenience of having the prescription filled while your parents do their other shopping.

Publix will fill your prescription for some antibiotics for free!

Walgreens includes pet prescriptions in their Prescription Savings Club. There is a fee for this program but this includes 400 generics priced at $12 for a 90 day supply. Plus many Walgreens are open 24/7

Walmart also has a list of generics priced at $10 for a 90 day supply. This may be a good option for those of you on Prednisone.

These are just some of the options. So have your parents check with pharmacies in your area...... and suggest that they spend some of their savings on a new toy for you!

Woof ya later!
Brice

Our weekend

2009-09-20T20:15:00.000-05:00

Those of you who were in on the secret were correct. The picture from Friday's post was 3yr old Belgian Malinois named Dodi. A Belgian Malinois is just like us but with shorter fur. Of course we must give a tip of the hat to Khyra for hosting Dodi at her home for a few hours and for letting her mom be part of the wonderful transport team that got her from Maryland to her foster home in Wisconsin.

Note from Momma - If you know someone that could provide an active foster home for a Belgian in need or would like to adopt one of these amazing dogs, please contact ABMC Belgian Malinois Rescue via their website.

Dodi

Our Momma was suppose to be doing a transport of her own on Saturday but her portion was cancelled so she took us to the park instead.

Nothing like a good game of zoomies to burn some energy

then Eva thought it was time for some snoofing

Brice gave us a heads-up that there was something interesting at the gate

This pup came to the park. Her people said that she was an Akita/German Shepherd mix.
We think she may have been an Akita with a Terv coat.

Today, we did a family walk in our own neighborhood.

Princess Eva always walks with Dad

And Brice always has Momma at the end of his leash

Our neighborhood has wooded trails that run between some of the streets

Sometimes we see other pups but today, it was our neighbors Bob and Jane.

There is a rumor that now that the weather is starting to cool and the leaves are beginning to change colors, it may be time for a bath before it gets too chilly. We're going to try to distract the humans so that it doesn't happen this week.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva & Brice

I wonder......

2009-09-18T09:34:00.002-05:00

Who this very special little girl is?

A new experience

2009-09-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

As we've shared before, Momma and Dad try to make sure that we're exposed to lots of different environments and experiences. This weekend, we went to the Renaissance Fair. There were lots of other dogs there because it was PetFest weekend but we didn't see any other Belgians. We were on our best behavior because Momma says that we have to be good ambassadors for the breed.-no barking, pulling or stealing food.

Look at all the people in funny costumes

Watching various musicians, magicians and other silly humans

Brice meeting a big white fluffy

Waiting nicely with Momma

Come closer! I want to snoof you
(you can expand this pic and see the tip of Brice's snooter stretching towards his new friend)

Thank you

If I could just reach it's head!
Brice was giving the sheep and goats play bows and tried to whap one on the head

Momma says that I'm suppose to herd you and not try to play with you

Brice posing

These puppies look familiar

Eva snoofin' another pup

Look at those really big puppies!
(The white spot on Brice's neck is a tag attached to his collar that all dogs had to wear)

Brice wanted to get closer but didn't want to scare the elephants and camels.

This pup really wanted to meet Brice

We went right when it opened and stayed for less than 2 hours. It was getting warm and crowded so Dad suggested that we head home for a well-deserved nap.

Brice's New Toy

2009-09-11T20:08:00.006-05:00

Fat Cat/rope/ball

A little game of tug to peak my interest!
Eva was just waiting to nip my rear when I wasn't paying attention.

Taunting me to get me to jump higher

Gathering power!
If I didn't have so much fur, you'd see my muscles start to quiver

Got it!!!!

Mine!!!!

Later Gators!!

FYI- Canine Cancer Podcast

2009-09-11T00:45:00.001-05:00

The American Kennel Club and the AKC Canine Health Foundation are pleased to debut the next podcast in the Genome Barks series.

The Genome Barks podcast series features lectures from the highly successful AKC-CHF Breeders Symposia and provides responsible breeders and pet owners an inside look at the work being done by the AKC and the AKC Canine Health Foundation.

American Kennel Club and AKC Canine Health Foundation Release Podcast about Canine Cancer Treatments [Thursday, September 10, 2009]

Genome Barks welcomes Dr. Jaime Modiano, a member of the faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Modiano has spent the last 15 years of his career looking at the mechanisms that are responsible for the origin and progression of canine cancer. Dr. Modiano's current research focuses on better cancer therapies, singling out the canine immune system as a treatment for cancers that are in the process of spreading to various regions of the body.

New podcasts are released every two weeks and can be accessed from either the American Kennel Club website at www.akc.org or the AKC Canine Health Foundation website at www.akcchf.org - click on "Podcasts." They are also available on Apple's iTunes® or directly at www.genomebarks.com

Click here to listen to the podcasts.

We haven't listened to it yet but it is on our "to do" list especially since we lost our Tasha and Tia to cancer.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva

p.s. the podcasts can be sorta boring but occasionally there is something interesting.
p.s.s. we'll be back later this morning with something more fun

How Brice keeps cool

2009-09-06T12:00:00.001-05:00

Last summer we shared the pics and video of Brice and the sprinkler. Today we're going to share what Momma tries to avoid every time that she puts water in our pool.

Brice likes to bite at the water both near

and farther away

Don't believe me? Watch this.

And where am I while he is being easily amused? Sitting far, far away.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva

p.s. We are careful that he doesn't get too much water since that can be dangerous

No success at a better pic!

2009-09-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

We went back to Staring Lake to try to get a better picture of Brice jumping over his favorite log. Either we need a better faster camera or Brice needs to run and jump slower.

Just amblin' along the paths

Brice looking at the log.
You can kind of see that this is a pretty steep hill.

Brice approaching for the jump!

This was the only decent shot from this direction

But we had a few shots like this one but Momma doesn't let him do the downhill jump a lot.
She worries about the impact to his joints.

We know that we won't get him to run and jump slower so we may borrow a better camera in order to show his great form.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-02T12:04:00.002-05:00

What a weekend!

2009-08-30T23:15:00.000-05:00

It was such a busy weekend.

Saturday, I played ball with Dad while Brice went with Momma to get kibble. But then they both left us alone for hours and hours and hours while they went to help transport some rescued Boxers. At first we were upset that our dinner was 2 hours late but then they explained why. We gave them our approval to leave us alone and delay our meals anytime that the opportunity is available where they can help homeless dogs.

This is one of the three that rode with Momma and Dad

We started off bright and early on Sunday to go the Fort Snelling State Park for a little exercise. Yes Qannik, we know that this is more of a nature walk than hiking but the park is in the middle of a large metro area. So we take what we can get.

We've got our gear on and just waiting for the humans to be ready

Stop being so slow! I've got things to sniff and Bricey has got things to water!

Finally!! And I'm leading the way

When we stop for a water break, we always thank Momma and Dad

Brice adds the personal touch when he thanks Dad

Momma forgot to use water from both sides of his pack so Brice was packed a little uneven.
Plus they make him carry out our trash.

Back at the truck we show one of the benefits of having pointy snooters

Dad and Brice spent a few hours napping.
For you little pups, if your parents complain about how heavy you are, tell them that at least they don't have a solid 55lbs who likes to nap on top of them.

As if the day wasn't full enough, Bella came over to play.
OK, "play" is not really the right word. It was more like sniff and go hide by her dad.

And then Niko was visiting her grandparents across the street so she came over to play.
She wanted to play with Brice's Flying Squirrel but that did not go over too well so all the toys got put away.

We were tired pups by the time the day was done. I think we might be able to talk Momma into sleeping late in the morning.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

Nap time!

2009-08-28T09:30:00.005-05:00

It's rainy this morning, I think I'll settle in for a nap.

Yes, this is comfortable.
Momma claims that I was snoring but I don't believe her. I didn't hear anything!

Here's a close-up of my blinding white teethies!
Good dental health is very important for us pups.

Woof ya later!
Brice

p.s. sometimes when I'm sleeping on my back, the whites of my eyes do show

Semi-cooperative pics

2009-08-27T10:47:00.005-05:00

Momma was trying to get some decent pics of us at the park earlier this week. But in our normal semi-cooperative fashion, most of them had lots of tall grass in front of us, blurry, lots of drooling, tongues hanging out, eyes closed, not looking at her etc. Here are some that are decent.

Princess Eva with her eyes closed and some foliage on her head

Brice takes zoomies very seriously.
Run fast or get out of his way.

But he did take a few moments to stand still and pose for his momma.

But now it's napping time to build up massive amounts of energy for when Dad gets home in a few hours.

Woof ya later!

p.s. for you fur pluckers out there - yes, we are blowing a little coat and have some for you to pluck

Some Special Furiends

2009-08-26T00:00:00.001-05:00

Please stop by Khyra's blog to wish her a Happy Gotcha Day
and Happy Birthday to her mom.

Still Raining

2009-08-21T11:36:00.002-05:00

It started off as another day of rain here in Minnesota. Rain is no fun! Then Momma got up early to go watch other pups do fun stuff like rally and agility. So we've been busy ordering stuff from the internet and watching dog videos.

We thought this one was cute but we hope that she doesn't get any ideas.

But Momma did call and say that now that the sun has come out, she's on her way home to do something with us.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva

Wishes

2009-08-19T12:30:00.002-05:00

I didn't want to waste the opportunity yesterday but I didn't want to be greedy either, so I only made 2 wishes.

1. Play with my squirrel - got to do that
2. Have a nice yummy knuckle bone - Momma took some out of the freezer for us to have today but it's raining so we have to wait until tomorrow since we are only allowed to have raw bones outside.

Whenever Dad turns away from me during "Squirrel", I always lay down and chew on the corners. As soon as he turns towards me, I get up and take it back so that he can throw it again. Momma says that there are pros and cons to me being so responsive to body language - it can make training easier but sometimes I respond to unintentional body language/facial expressions.

After a good game of Squirrel and Ball, Dad was on the patio listening to the MN Vikings/Favre press conference when Eva demanded attention.

Yes, her neck is UNDER the armrest. Belgians are often lovingly referred to as "pointy-nosed pests" for many reasons including if they can get their snooter through something, the head will follow.

It's still raining so we're off for a nap. Hopefully, it will stop raining so that we can video a response to Thunder and his Flying Squirrel

Woof ya later!
Bricey the "Can you fluff my pillow?" Napper

p.s. In case you are wondering, his shirt today is for Dropkick Murphys. I think they are classified as Irish punk. He does prefer Flogging Molly for that genre. Momma doesn't like either one.

Make a wish!

2009-08-18T18:30:00.001-05:00

I know what I want but I haven't mastered door knobs yet

So I'll close my eyes and make a wish

Have I mentioned how much I love my Flying Squirrel?

Later gators! It's Squirrel catching time,

Bricey

Finally!

2009-08-16T22:27:00.004-05:00

Between the heat, the rain and our parents having other commitments, it's been a few days since we've been to the park.

Did you say PARK!!!

Which way first?

I'm going run this way!

Brice was so happy that he was doing zoomies by himself!

There are rumors of the Bath Monster tomorrow.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva

p.s. We've been having some "issues". If we haven't commented on your recent posts, it may be because the new posts are showing up really late in our blog list.

News Clip

2009-08-14T18:49:00.003-05:00

Do you ever see those clips on the news about the featured animals at the local humane society? This one did not go quite as planned.

Admittedly, that was cute and Ginger did remind Momma of The Boy. maybe that's why she wanted to post it.

vreTTerv

2009-08-13T16:35:00.006-05:00

A long, long time ago (before Brice came to live with us), Princess Eva NEVER EVER playbowed to anypup. Now, she'll only playbow to Bricey. I suppose you could call that progress :-)

This..........

leads to this......

which leads to the rare 8 legged, two tailed, no-head vreTTerv.
Brice is on the left, Eva is on the right.

PSA- Puppies Behind Bars

2009-08-12T22:12:00.003-05:00

For some reason, Momma is in the mood to share information about other dogs and not pics/stories about us. Here is today's installment.

The Puppies Behind Bars program teams puppies up with prison inmates — who live with and train the puppies to become bomb-sniffing dogs, or service dogs for wounded vets.

The program began at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in 1997. Now Puppies Behind Bars is working in six correctional facilities, and nearly 500 dogs have been trained in the program.

Please click here for the story - there is a link on that page to listen to the NPR audio program or a link to read a transcript of the program.

Woof ya later!

On a pawsitive note...

2009-08-11T12:00:00.001-05:00

Nothing very exciting going on here so we found a few pawsitive things to share.

A different version of canine freestyle (poor video quality but kind of cute)

More of Attila and Fly's routines can be found here.

And here is a good story of where a lost dog found his way to the right home and shows that things happen for a reason.

Woof ya later!

Princess Eva's fancy collar

2009-08-08T15:25:00.005-05:00

You may remember that Princess Eva won drawing over at Life with Dogs and won a fancy collar from www.theunrulyhound.com. There were so many pretty options for the ribbon and the option of having Eva's name embroidered on the collar but since Eva's build and thick coat are ....hmmm... let's say a challenge to the concept of flashing a fancy collar, we just matched her coat colors and did not add her name so that Brice can also wear it when he needs that extra bling to impress the girls. But since this is a wider collar, we held out hope that you could still see it on her.

Princess Eva as soon as Momma put the collar on her

After a simple walk across the yard, Eva's fur is starting to hide the collar

A simple running to get a treat, and it is even more is hidden.

After a 3rd trip across the yard, Eva looked like she wasn't wearing a collar

We wanted to show you what a bewootiful collar it is, so Bricey volunteered to model it for you.

Brice has a shorter coat so even after a trip around the deck, you could still see the tiger stripe collar.

A closer shot so that you can see how well it matches their coat colors.

A good pic of the collar

A big thanks to Nigel and his humans at Life with Dogs and Holly at www.theunrulyhound.com. for making Princess Eva such a lovely collar. She'll be wearing it on her next visit to Grandma and other special occasions.

Zoomies

2009-08-07T20:05:00.003-05:00

After Dad came home, he put his tent back up to clean it. We considered it to be an obstacle on our zoomie track.

Eva is turning out to be a pretty good zoomie and wrestling partner. She's getting faster and pushes back a lot more than she used to.

Woof Ya Later,
Bricey the Zoomie Master

Just in time for Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-05T21:41:00.002-05:00

Still Searching! And An Escape!

2009-08-04T01:30:00.001-05:00

We've been searching all over looking for our dad.

We rented a private jet and flew around the world looking for Dad

Chartered a boat and sailed the seven seas
(that's us up front navigating)

We even stopped by to see Khyra but no sightings of Dad had been reported

We decided to return home and wait with Momma. But Sunday night, we caused a little bit of a panic (those of you on FB already know this). When Momma put us out for the last trip out and waited on the deck as usual, she thought we were spending too much time in the back corner and shined her trusty flashlight in our direction and found that we were missing!! A storm had rolled through earlier and knocked down part of our fence and we had escaped! Momma ran through the yard and called our names. Princess Eva returned home right away but Momma had to call my name a second time and added the magic word "Treat!!" Of course, I'll do anything for food and came running! She was so happy that we came when called that we got lots of hugs and kisses and full slices of cheese as a reward.

Momma - the last thing I needed was to try to find Brice and Eva at 1 a.m. I knew Eva would not go far but Brice was an unknown. We always work on his recall but it had not been tested in this type of situation before. They were only loose for 3-5 minutes and based on sound, I think they were two houses over. I LOVE my pups!!

The big gaping hole is blocked with ex-pen panels

Reports started coming in that there was a large gathering of vroom-vroom machines in South Dakota. We'll be checking there tomorrow.

Woof ya later!
Bricey the Adventurer

Charlie

2009-08-02T14:13:00.002-05:00

As many of you know, Charlie, the patriarch of the DWB community has passed to Rainbow Bridge. Like many others before him, he can now run free as fast as he can and play as hard as he wants in the land of treats and Wubbas and squirrels to chase.

Listen closely and you will hear the sad woos, howls and meows around the world, as we all join in mourning the loss of a great one. Without Charlie and Opy, there would not be a DWB or CWB and we would not have come together as a family.

Our hearts are breaking for Greg, Brooke and Opy.

Searching.....

2009-07-31T12:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, shortly after breakfast, Dad left at his normal time but he took the vroom-vroom machine in the garage. Sometimes he takes it to work but usually not. We started watching for Dad to come home around 3pm as usual.

Hmmm...4 pm and Dad's not home yet.

5pm and no Dad yet.

6pm...no Dad...we're starting to worry.

7pm....we realize Dad is lost and we have to start a search party. We started searching this morning!

We checked the Grand Canyon and didn't find him

He loves water so we started to check the coastline. Not on this beach!

We're going to search until we find him. Have you seen our Dad?

Protecting Dad

2009-07-30T01:15:00.001-05:00

Neither Brice nor Eva really begs for food but Brice is always aware of when food may be "available". Any food left within reach and not closely supervised, may not be there when you get back.

I'm just here to protect Dad in case his dinner jumps off his plate and attacks!

Dad showing Brice his appreciation for another meal safely completed

And thanked Eva for protecting his beer.
Eva loves beer, not that she ever gets any.
But if she can smell it, she's close by in case it spills

Woof ya later!

Playdate with Isis!

2009-07-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

We had a playdate with Isis, a boxer, on Saturday. Fun was had by all!

A great view of the park!

Brice and Isis

Eva doesn't go in the water very deep

Water Level is a little low

Brice and Isis playing in the water

Isis having fun!

Brice, Isis and a pair of fluffies

Princess Eva is very reserved so she doesn't play with very many pups. She prefers to sit on her Dad's feet just like a penguin baby.

Brice played with this shepherd alot

We didn't get any pictures of them playbowing but Brice kept swinging around and hip-checking him

Brice is just a little tired!

Eva napping on the drive home

We really like this park but it's a lot farther from home so we don't get there very often.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva and Brice

Fun, torture and a prize

2009-07-24T23:45:00.002-05:00

It's been either raining or hot, so we didn't get to the park today but did a short loop around the park yesterday. I have such a thick coat that the temperature and humidity determines whether we get to the park or not.

Unfortunately my coat resulted in lots of this.See the fur flying? It was everywhere and they're still not done.
They used one torture instrument to get the bulk out and then Momma needs to go over me again with the fancy brush. And I had to submit to getting my nails done. It always surprises Momma that I let her Dremel my nails since I'm usually scared of anything that makes noise.
(Yes, Brice is in the foreground trying to get in on a little grooming action)

I won the monthly drawing for a new collar at Life with Dogs. If you don't follow Nigel, Sola and Truffles yet, please stop by to check them out. Momma has been emailing with the lovely lady at www.TheUnrulyHound.com to pick the perfect collar. (I'm getting a fabric ribbon that isn't even on the website yet!)

We should have something new for our next post. We have a playdate set up for tomorrow morning. We promise lots of pics of our adventure.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-22T10:48:00.002-05:00

Momma wishes we would pant in unison.

We can help!

2009-07-20T01:50:00.005-05:00

Dad asked us to help

We don't think that he could have done it without us.

Woof Ya Later!

p.s. Momma is staying home with us since it's a "boys trip".

Saturday at the Park

2009-07-19T01:30:00.002-05:00

This cutie's name is Laska
(not the Laska that Khyra's mom transported a few weeks ago)

Brice playing with another pup

Brice does run off to play with other pups, but he always come back to me

Dad had to run something back to the trash so now he's roaming the park looking for us

Brice off to rescue Dad and let him know where we were

Then it was time for zoomies

After the zoomies, we always have seeds and foliage all over us

Stopping to pull the seeds and stray foliage out of our fur so that it doesn't cause problems later

Time to head back home. It's almost dinner time!

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva & Brice the Bobble Head

p.s. Thanks everyone for not making too much fun of The Boy's pictures. He really is very floofy but I think that part of it is a big head due to his inflated ego.

For Phantom the Fluffy

2009-07-17T10:23:00.004-05:00

Our friends over at NY Bully Brats has a great post today - wearing shirts in support of Phantom from OP Pack.

We're sending love and support to Phantom and his family

It looks like Brice's head is Photoshopped

Brice insisted on a manly shirt so he's wearing one of Dad's shirts from the Sturgis Rally
(Dad leaves on the 30th for this year's rally)

Princess Eva wearing her special storm shirt that protects her from boomies

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva and Brice the Studly

p.s. Sorry that we're so furry that shirts look funny on us.

The dog park and things people say

2009-07-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

Instead of the normal park report, we're going to share some of the comments/questions that we hear at the dog park. And rarely does someone see us without making some kind of comment.

Yesterday, someone said one of the things that really bothers Momma.
Question= "Since you have one of each, are you going to breed them?"
Momma ="Eva is not breeding quality and Brice's contract required him to be neutered"
She tries to not get into the responsible breeding speech in this type of casual conversation but if it continues she does bring up puppy mills and breed rescues.

Another one from yesterday
Question - "Is he aggressive?"
Momma - "No he's not, is there a reason why you asked?"
Questioner - "He stands tall with his head held high and shoulders back"
Momma - "He is a very confident dog with some dominant traits but he is not aggressive"

Question - "Collie mix?, german shepherd mix?, husky mix?"
Momma - "Actually, they are a less common breed called Belgian Tervuren"
There was one guy who asked if we were from the same litter of mixes and would not believe Momma when she said that we are actually a breed.
Actually we think it's funny when kids say that we're fox dogs or wolf dogs.

Such a happy boy! Hard to get zoomie shots since the grass is so high.
Dad keeps asking Brice if he is part white-tail deer.

Question - "Do they shed?"
Momma - thinking Duh!! politely answers "Yes"

Question - "What are they bred for?"

Momma - "Originally herding but now they are also used for Search and Rescue, service dogs and law enforcement."

The most common comments are that we are beautiful, friendly, move so gracefully and love to run.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva & Brice

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T00:09:00.003-05:00

Brice at the open patio door saying "It's 5pm, where's my dinner?"

Can we get a new photographer?

2009-07-13T19:38:00.003-05:00

We went out to get a new picture for the DWB blog list. The photo shoot was full of failures. Not our fault since we are extremely photogenic. Our photographer is "challenged". Can we get a new one?

Are you shining a spotlight on my tongue?

Ummm..... there are leaves blocking my beauty!

Could you maybe find the right setting on the camera?
Maybe something that won't make us blurry?

Maybe you should not stand behind a tree?

We'll try again tomorrow.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice

Were they still there?

2009-07-11T14:30:00.003-05:00

Only darling Ammy was correct. The moo-tubes and hooves were on the counter for 24 hours and Brice never touched them.

Bricey says "Thanks Momma!"

Yummy!!!!

Eva politely waits for the "OK"

Eva trying to decide which end to start on!

Since they were so big, we only got to eat half of them. Momma says that we'll get them back tomorrow to finish.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva & Bricey

p.s. The agility show started at 6:45 am and the big dogs were running first but Momma didn't get there until 10 so she missed a lot of the big dogs. She did see a Sibe, a Terv and a Belgian Sheepdog doing their runs this morning and she heard rumors that a Great Dane was there too but never saw him.

A Test and Pretty Flowers

2009-07-10T22:45:00.002-05:00

Many of you have heard the stories of the great counter surfer that lives here. Brice has licked the holiday turkey, was caught sampling out of the pan that Momma was cooking in, no dish towel is safe if it is on the counter etc. But if an open bag of treats is on the counter, Brice will not touch them.

Silly Momma decided to test Bricey tonight. Sitting on the counter are two moo-tubes and 2 cow hooves. Any guesses about if any are missing in the morning when Momma gets up?

And because those aren't very pretty, here are some of our flowers that are blooming.
Momma is leaving us alone with Dad tomorrow because she's going to watch a local agility trial and maybe talk to people about finding an agility trainer for the boy. The club that she would like to take the classes at is so full that they're no longer putting names on a waiting list. Sounds like too much work for me, I'd rather stay home and be the Princess.

Woof ya later!

Thursday Night Video

2009-07-09T19:00:00.001-05:00

Usually when we get back from the park, Dad just wants to relax a little.

We don't always cooperate.

Woof ya Later!

Hammock Time

2009-07-07T10:30:00.001-05:00

Helping Dad relax after work -

Brice makes sure that Dad doesn't escape

Kisses make everything better

What?? It's Eva's turn now?

Eva keeps an eye out for squirrels

Eva loves her daddy

It's a delicate balancing act to have the pups in the hammock. Any sudden departure by Brice or Eva means Dad falls on the ground.

Random shots from Sunday

2009-07-06T11:44:00.005-05:00

Brice thought he needed to wash his squirrel

Eva playing a little ball

Do you see what I see?
( Thankfully Brice respects the concept of a fence)

Bella aka Fang came by with her dad to say hello but she's scared of most dogs so she didn't get down and play with us.

Also, now that most of us are in the summer season, please read the Dog Heatstroke Survival Guide

We Survived

2009-07-05T16:15:00.001-05:00

We made it through the night OK. Brice doesn't even flicker an ear at the boomies but we were at full "protect the Princess from the assault" mode - storm shirt, Rescue Remedy, movie with loud noises, and a magic pill. She was still stressed and wanted her momma but not shaking and drooling excessively. So it was a good night.

We got a late start on the park today but needed to get in a little zoomie time.

It's a "Field of Dreams" moment

Brice is going into "stealth mode" - faster and starting to blend into the background

If you look carefully, you can still see him

A little more visible from this angle due to our dark faces

No matter how long the grass is, Brice can still find the other dogs

Lots of water breaks due to the heat

Since the ticks are so bad this year, we are using dual tick protection - something from the vet and we get misted with a essential oils. We also get a daily tick check - if Momma finds one, she makes Dad get rid of it.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva & Brice

Somehusky is confused!

2009-07-02T20:46:00.006-05:00

On our guess which pup is which in the picture question, our friends over at the Thundering Herd answered "Eva on the left and Brice on the right." Which was correct but then they commented "The Herd knows its puppy butts!"

Well you may know which was which, but apparently you don't know which end is which. Those weren't our butts. It was our necks - notice the direction of fur and Eva may not have the proper Belgian foot but they all are attached in the right general direction.

We could blame it on their human since his view is usually the Herd's tails.

The answer is.....

2009-07-02T09:38:00.003-05:00

Parents can always tell their kids apart from every angle, sound, and fur texture. Our parents used to be able to tell us apart by smell before Brice got the big snip.

The answer is..................

Princess Eva was the pup on your left and Brice was the pup on your right. Most of you were incorrect. Eve has longer fur and carries a very heavy coat especially for a girl and has more blackening. Brice has tighter cat feet.

Dad didn't take a follow-up picture with our heads up to go with the one that we posted yesterday so here are a few pics from the other day that show the difference in our ruffs.

Brice's ruff

Eva's ruff

We always take our own water to the park and Brice can always tell which jug is ours. When he wants a drink, he goes and sits by our jug. For our safety, our parents don't let us drink out of the dishes that people leave at the park because you never know what's growing in them or if some person has purposely contaminated them. (We've read articles about people putting out poison at dog parks. Not in our area but we're not going to take that risk)

Woof ya later!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-01T00:02:00.003-05:00

Can you tell which one is Eva and which is Brice?

It's been a long week but good news!

2009-06-28T23:30:00.001-05:00

It was such a tough week. Quite a few pups from the blog world and the Belgian world passed to the Rainbow Bridge. We were very impacted by the passing of Princess Dakota from OP Pack. This afternoon when she was napping, Momma had an image of Dakota and our Tasha wooing together. Tasha was only part husky but could woo on occasion. Ok, it was more of a wolf howl but Dad always said it was from the husky part of her.

Along with many others in the blog world, we focused a lot of our pawsitive thoughts on helping Laska find his way home. BTW- have you seen Khyra's announcement? LASKA IS HOME!!!!! We don't have the details yet but I know that Khyra and her mom are bouncing with joy.

I don't think that there were enough pictures on my Brice-a-versary post, so here are a few more.

Dad was ambitious and brushed us Saturday morning before Momma even got up.
Here it looks like I'm floating on a cloud of Bricey undercoat

Almost everyday, I go downstairs and watch the news with Dad.
Yes, I have my own barstool.

Don't worry Dad, I won't fall off

This is the boy's clubhouse.
All girls need to get out.
Yes, Momma, that goes for you too.

What??? You came to tell me that it's dinner time!!
Outta my way!!!

Woof ya later!
Brice

Brice-o-versary!!!!

2009-06-27T14:00:00.003-05:00

Shortly after Tasha passed to the Rainbow Bridge last spring, my parents realized that I will always be too shy and lack the confidence needed to be an only dog and I needed have another pup in the family. Even though my parents were trying to find a new pup through Belgian Rescue, none of the dogs available seemed to be the right one. But through the rescue grapevine, we heard of a young boy named Brice that needed to find the right home. His former home loved him dearly but he was too enthusiastic to be a service dog which is what they needed.

A year ago today, we met this energetic boy and Momma and Dad instantly fell in love with Brice. Against my objections, we brought him home from Nebraska. It took a few more days for him to win me over but now I can't imagine life without him.

Brice - the boy with enough confidence for 2 pups

We never too far apart

Because of Brice's energy level, we take long walks or go to the dog park almost every day

Photo by Patrick Nau Photography

He's a handful but he's my brother!

Help us celebrate Brice-o-versary by snooter smooching your pups and LIVERGREAT FOR ALL!!

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva

A new star shines tonight

2009-06-24T21:17:00.002-05:00

A new star shines brightly tonight for Princess Dakota. We'll never forget her piercing blue eyes, happy smile and how she tried so hard to overcome all of her challenges. Please stop by her blog to leave words of comfort for her family.

Those we love don't go away,
They walk beside us every day,
Unseen, unheard, but always near,
Still loved, still missed and very dear.

We light a candle in her honor tonight and wish her safe journey as she joins our Tasha and the others at the Rainbow Bridge.

With love,
Princess Eva, Brice, Momma and Dad

The grass is a little high

2009-06-24T11:24:00.002-05:00

After the heat and humidity of the last few days, Momma said we were going to the park this morning even if it was sprinkling. Some of the grass is taller than us now.

Please continue to send pawsitive thoughts to Laska to find his way home in NJ.

Pawsitive thoughts are also needed for OP Pack and their family. Princess Dakota has had some really bad days and needs our love.

Think pawsitive thoughts and a PSA

2009-06-23T11:15:00.001-05:00

We continue to keep our paws crossed for Laska. Please keep thinking pawsitive thoughts that he will be found soon. The Last Resort Animal Rescue volunteers worked so hard to get him to safety and now everyone's hearts are breaking that he escaped and is out there alone and scared. He needs our help to find his way to the people who love him.

If you have a favorite rescue organization that you work with or donate to, suggest that they get listed with the Sitstay Dog Rescue Directory. People can search the site based on state or breed to find a rescue organization that may have their new family member. Plus the people at SitStay randomly chooses 5 organizations every month to receive donated products. Our friends at the Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue were one of the winners in February.
We are not affiliated with SitStay.

Speaking of Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue, on their website is a link to one of their fundraisers - an e-bay auction. Check out the items up for bid. There are a couple of items that we have our eye on.

Also, we received word that some home improvements stores are selling a plant called the Sago Palm. This plant is deadly to pets and is often used as outdoor landscaping in southern states and a houseplant in northern states. Each part of this plant including the seeds and rootball is toxic for pets . Within 12 hours of ingesting, the signs of illness begin including vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy. The toxins can lead to liver failure and death.

That's it for today. Time for us to go back to sending pawsitive thoughts to NJ.

Princess Eva & Brice

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T12:31:00.002-05:00

Rain is forecast for this afternoon, so we went to the dog park early this morning. Came home and Momma made us breakfast and now it's time to put in an old movie and take a nap.

Brice thinks that he is a lap dog

Happy Father's Day to everyone!

A Lazy Saturday........for now

2009-06-20T12:20:00.005-05:00

Not much going on here today. I'm just hanging out in my kennel chewing on a cow hoof.

Brice doesn't like to hold things that he's chewing on with his paws. I think he worries that he'll miss and crunch some toes.
Momma found out that the pigment on a hoof will transfer to a chenille rug. Good thing that she has a rug cleaner!

Woof ya later
Princess Eva

We put Dad to work!

2009-06-17T11:15:00.000-05:00

Guess what we're doing!

Trimming low branches to improve the flight path for Brice's Flying Squirrel
(Brice and Eva were in the house when branches were being trimmed)

Dad was hiding things in the fallen branches for Brice to find

Inspecting Dad's work

Who's available to throw my squirrel?

Siva needs a home

2009-06-16T14:00:00.001-05:00

Do you know someone that would like to have the Belgian Experience? Some Belgians have less energy like Princess Eva does, some are medium drive like Brice and some have even more drive than Brice does.

Siva is a pretty Terv mix girl at the Toledo Humane Society that is looking for a new home. Can you see the hint of the infamous Belgian smile? Brice says he'd snooter smooch her anyday!

This pretty girl is Siva. She is an 8 year old Belgian Shepherd Tervuren mix. Her previous owner lost her house and could no longer keep her. Siva is a sweet dog with pretty, long fur. She is friendly and laid back and would make a great companion.

Siva is up to date with shots, has been spayed, behavior tested, and has been micro chipped.

Attention Seniors! This animal is part of our Seniors for Seniors program. If you are 60 years of age or older, you can adopt any cat or dog who is 5 years of age or older on a Wednesday and we will waive their adoption fee. Stop in soon and see our Siva and maybe you can make her yours..............

Did you see that! People that are little bit older can adopt a dog for free on Wednesdays. That is a wonderful way to find a good home for dogs that are past the manic puppy energy stage.

You don't see a lot of dogs that are really of Belgian heritage in shelters. Since we are some of the less common (but not rare) breeds and the responsible breeders and owners work hard at keeping Belgians out of shelters, many of us are rehomed through the breeders or official breed rescue. If you're not in the Toledo area but still think that you may want to experience life with a Belgian, we've listed some of the resources. They may not have the right dog for you listed but will network with others in the Belgian community to see if they can match you to the right dog.

Belgian Sheepdog Rescue Trust

ABMC Belgian Malinios Rescue

Belgian Tervuren Rescue

Of course we ask that you to do your research and make sure that this is the breed for you. Most Belgians are not the nap on the couch all day and take a casual walk a few times a week type of dog. Though we post some of hikes and trips to the dog park, we don't post them all. If Brice does not get at least 1 hour of hard exercise a day, he is bouncing off the walls.

Belgians are smart, athletic, easily trained, need a job dogs but are very devoted to their people. We're often called Velcro dogs because we think our people need help with everything - just ask our parents, they haven't taken a shower or even moved from one room to another without Brice supervising since he got here.

We're multi-talented dogs. Belgians excel in herding, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, search & rescue, law enforcement and are beautiful and very affectionate. We can do anything!

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice the Handsome

P.S. The city that we live in restricts us to having only two dogs but every time that Momma gets an e-mail about another Belgian needing a home (especially if it is a Terv) she thinks about breaking that rule. She'd love to have a bigger pack.

P.S.S. There is a 9 month old Terv in rescue that is really catching her eye! And just heard of a 4 month old Malinios coming into rescue. Yet Buddy (a 2 yr old Belgian Sheepdog) is really tugging at her heart.

We're back!

2009-06-15T10:15:00.001-05:00

Sorry that we've been missing for a few days. We like to keep our parents busy so we've been traveling to several parks.

We went to Minnewashta Dog Park. We usually don't go to this park since it's not fully fenced but our parents called Brice away from the marshy area that isn't fenced so he didn't figure that out.

We met Eva (but pronounced Ava). She's a search and rescue dog in training. We did a few laps of the park with her and her mom.

We also went to the grand opening of the new location of our favorite pet supply store to get kibble and the prizes for the winners in the "Guess Brice's Weight" contest. (Sorry, they're finally in the mail today) While we were there, we met Izzo who is a little golden puppy learning to be a service dog. We had seen a new addition to the DWB list for Dempsey who is also a golden pup in service dog training. Izzo is Dempsey's littermate and they both live here in Minnesota.

Yesterday we went to the Interstate State Park. It was a little toasty but we took lots of water and cool down breaks.

Waiting while the parents decide which path we're going to take.

The trails were rocky going down............

and up!

Eva hiking through some of the narrow passageways

The other side of the river

Brice scared Momma when he jumped up on this retaining wall.
There is a big drop to the trails below.

Another view of the river

Brice "helped" Momma up some of the paths. They were very rocky and she made him walk behind her when going down since she didn't want to end up with any broken bones.

Posing on some of the exposed rocks

Eva got to lead the pack most of the day.

Another view ( Dad took approx 120 pictures during this hike)

Don't worry. I'm not going to jump off the cliff.

Eva's cooling her feety-feet in the river

After a short nap(Momma's still recovering from yesterday), we'll be making the blog rounds to see what everyone else has been up to.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice

What is that bright object in the sky?

2009-06-12T02:00:00.000-05:00

It's been rainy and gloomy and overcast for a few days. This morning the phone rang and it was Dad! He said that since it was finally sunny again, he was going to take a half day off from work and come take us on an adventure!

Today's destination was Afton State Park which is along the St. Croix river.

I hear the river! Let's go find it.

At the scenic overlook

Momma? Can we go skinny-dipping?

Eva: I had to keep my collar on but no leash for me!

Brice is our own Loch-Ness monster (he is attached to a training lead)

There isn't a strong current here but Dad was ready to jump in and save us if necessary

Brice kept putting his head under water to try and find the rocks that Momma was throwing in the water. He always gets a funky hair style when he does this.

Taking a rest break with Dad

Heading back to our vehicle.

Thanks for coming along on our adventure.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice

p.s. We have some videos but we'll post those in a few days. Momma wants to do some editing first.

Zoomie Time

2009-06-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

We never seem to go anywhere without the flashy beast following us. And sometimes it brings a friend so that we have two of them to deal with. Here is some of the evidence from a recent trip to our favorite park.

The grass is getting taller. Soon we'll just be able to see Brice's ears.

Eva wants you to know having this full of a coat does limit our trips to the park when it's too warm or humid

Where Brice goes, Eva follows

This is part of the reason that we go to the park alot. There is plenty of room for zoomies even though Eva does get tired a lot faster than Brice.

Sorry that this is fuzzy but it was taken with a neighbors camera phone. Our neighbors have a family of foxes living under their deck. We're trying to get better pictures of the babies playing on their patio furniture.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice

The Results Are In!!

2009-06-10T12:00:00.001-05:00

Bright and early yesterday morning, Momma took me to the vet for my distemper shot and general exam. All of the regular vets at this clinic are women except for one. And everyone knows that I LOVE the girls, both canine and human. Dr. Valenti was the lucky one that got the opportunity to run her fingers through my fur on this visit.

She gave me lots of treats and snuggles before she pronounced me "Perfect". My weight is right were it should be and my coat and condition are great. She also said that I was very expressive and friendly. I do have a little ear infection but we should have that cleared up soon.

Momma brought my clicker and treat pouch so that we could practice sits and downs while we waited. I kept one ear on her and the other on the back room.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our little contest. Here are the guesses in the "Guess Brice's Weight" contest

Storm and Jackal 48.9
Huffle 49.7
Darling Pippa 51.2
TD, Phantom and Princess Dakota from OP Pack 54.8
Rocky 56.2
Lorenza 56.4
Stormy, Dave, Zimmie and the lovely Ammy from AO4 57.3
Stella 58.0
Ginger Jasper 58.2
Thundering Herd 59.1
Addie, Lucie and Hailey 60.0
Star and Jack 61.00
Golden Samantha (Sammie) 61.5
Saige and Guinness from 'splorin' Wolfies 65.3
Woodrow, Sweetie and MJ from NY Bully Brats who I think didn't want to hurt my feelings by guessing wrong so they didn't guess
Khyra who didn't guess because Momma may have mentioned my unofficial weight in a recent e-mail

And my official weight is........................... 54.3!

I had gained a few pounds during the winter but now I've lost 3.5 lbs since February. Momma is actually thinking about adding a few extra pieces of kibble to my dinner since she'd like to keep me at 55 -56 lbs.

The grand prize winner is Thunder, Phantom and Princess Dakota of The OP Pack!!!!! Please drop us an email with your address and dietary restrictions at ep_tasha_eva at yahoo dot com.

We also did a drawing for a consolation prize.

Please e-mail us your address and dietary restrictions also.

Thanks for playing!

Princess Eva and Brice

We missed it! - Contest

2009-06-09T00:05:00.002-05:00

We missed celebrating our 400th post! So we'll save our big contest idea for our 500th but for now we'll have simple one.

Brice has to go in the vet to get jabbed today along with the other normal things including his official weight. So can you guess his weight to win a prize? Here is a clue - more than 45.2 lbs and less than 65.4.

He's lean, athletic and all fur

Contest closes at 11:59 pm on 6/9/09 Central Time

Princess Eva refused to participate since a lady never reveals her weight.

Prize is yet to be determined but it will appropriate for the winner.

Random Items to share-updated

2009-06-07T17:17:00.002-05:00

No adventure yesterday ( it rained all day) and today it's still gray and damp but Momma was muttering something about Brice acting like a 4 year old human puppy on a sugar high. Not sure what she meant but Dad took us to the park to run off some of our energy. Since he forgot to bring the camera, we don't have any pictures to share. So we thought that we would post some random items.

For Steve - Brice loves his back pack. We both know that we get to go hiking when our parents get it out. In fact Momma just has to hold it up and Brice sticks his head through the opening. Don't you like your pack?

For Summi - we saw lots of fish but weren't allowed to catch our own snacks. Momma said that we didn't have a fishing license.

For Zimmie - At Sonic we shared a plain burger and fries. We forgot to ask for the Watermelon slushie

For Ammy - There was another snake on the other side of the bridge. Our Momma was glad that we passed by them before she knew they were there.

For Storm and Jackal - We asked the other people by the bridge that were watching the snake too. No one knew what kind it was. We know that it's not a garter snake since we saw one of those a few weeks ago. We think that it was a Western Fox Snake

For Stella - We didn't get to go the art show since it was raining but we may go to another one coming up in a few weeks.

For Everyone - We know that we're very lucky that our parents take us lots of places because it gives us both physical exercise and mental stimulation. We go somewhere almost everyday and some days we get really lucky and get to go to the dog park and on a hike. Mostly because a Brice without a lot of daily exercise is like a border collie on crack.

Speaking of puppy crack....We stopped and picked out new treats on Friday. These treats get 8 paws, 4 ears and 2 tails up from us!

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva & Brice

p.s. A special "WOO" out to MFT. She didn't really ask any questions for us to answer but is almost always the first to comment. Hugs and khysses for all of your support.

Bambi!!!!!

2009-06-05T19:15:00.001-05:00

Dad hasn't been working on Fridays lately, so we had a big day planned.

First on our schedule was a walk around Bricey Ocean South.
For some reason, humans want to call it Lake Harriet.

I know there must be fish in here. We could catch our own snacks!

No Dad, we're not doing anything bad, just looking!

Hey!!! Is that the Thundering Herd???

One person and eleven dogs. But no huskies so it can't be The Herd
(What would be the math equivalent? One Husky = how many regular dogs?)
Momma says that Brice is a handful and is equal to 4 or 5 dogs all by himself.

Next on our list was the Edina Art Fair. But we got a later start today than we planned and decided it would be too crowded and didn't want anyone to step on our feety feet so we went back to the Fort Snelling State Park.

This time we read the sign correctly and found the right path.

Part of the historic site
(sorry, since we're dogs, we can't read the historic markers and be more specific)

The Chapel

Princess Eva was scared of the people in the funny hats and wouldn't go near them.
But Brice was ready to pose.

Another part of the fort

Then it was back to the trails

We found a Trippy-Trapp bridge

We saw Mr. Snake on the bridge

Momma made Brice pose on the stump

But here is the highlight of our day. We were walking around Pike Island and a deer jump over the path and disappeared into the woods to our right. It was kind of strange since it was mid-afternoon. But glancing to our left, we found the reason why the deer was trying to draw our attention the other way.

Tucked into the woods was Bambi!

Momma continued with Princess Eva and Brice down the trail while Dad stayed on the trail and zoomed in on the baby for a quick picture before he caught up to us. They said that it was very important that we didn't stress either the baby or the momma.

By then we were getting tired so we decided to go home to nap AFTER a quick stop at Sonic for a late lunch.

Woof ya later!
Princess Eva & Brice

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-03T12:10:00.002-05:00

Life jackets? Check
Two pups that love adventures? Check
Lake or River? No Check

MOMMA!!!!! Take us to the lake!

Bricey was a bad boy

2009-06-02T02:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Momma had made a big bowl of tuna pasta salad for her lunches this week and left it on the counter while she ran out to get the mail. (Silly Momma! She knows that Brice likes to counter-surf.) I was innocently napping in my kennel while Brice helped himself to lunch and she came back to find the bowl on the floor and the celery chunks sprinkled across the kitchen floor. Don't worry, Momma didn't yell at him or even put him in a time-out. She knows that it was her fault.

But since Brice had helped himself to an extra meal, we went to the park to run off those carbs.

It was perfect zoomie weather

Princess Eva waiting for Momma and Dad to catch up

Brice looking to the southwest for a special girl

More zoomies

Dad made us take a little break

Then we were off running again

Even more zoomies

After an hour of zooming, it was time to go home

If you're ever in Minnesota, give us a call. We know where all the best parks are.

Princess Eva

Two new adventures

2009-06-01T10:30:00.000-05:00

We're a little behind on sharing our adventures so we're going to combine two of our recent outings.

The first time that we went on a walk with Brice wearing his backpack, we were curious to see if it would bother him. Other than forgetting that he was now a little wider than normal and running into things with his pack, there were no issues - he didn't try to get it off or refuse to move with it on. We haven't confirmed it but we think he was taught to wear a pack while he was with his former treat dispenser since he was learning to be a service dog.

Posing with Dad - not one picture had all 3 looking at the camera

Because Eva has perfect recall and doesn't wander too far, she is allowed off leash in certain situations. Brice, of course, thinks that it's very unfair.

Brice is now the official water carrier.

Our Dad loves all things historical so yesterday we went to Fort Snelling State Park.

Waiting for Momma while she stopped in the visitor center

This is the trail that we picked for today

There were lots of areas on the trail that overlook the river

Very wise words on a banner along the trail
(there was a bike marathon going through the park)

We were going to go up to the historic site but we took a wrong turn and ended up at the Minnehaha Falls dog park which is along the river.

There were 75 - 100 dogs and their people at the park

Eva is searching for Brice

Our parents made us go to less populated area so that Brice would settle down and stop running all over. Eva gets really stressed when Brice, Momma and Dad are not in a herd formation.

Brice was not listening because there was too much excitement.
So he was put back on a 20 ft training lead

Just strolling along the river

As usual, I'm a good girl and not running all over

Just look at all of that water

Dad says that we get to go back next weekend and explore more areas of this park.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice

371 American Eskimo dogs rescued from puppy mill

2009-05-31T01:00:00.003-05:00

There are so many things wrong/disgusting/revolting/offensive with this.

Puppy mills are disgusting on every level
Neighbors who were aware of this situation and appear to have done nothing about it are wrong
That this "person" was only charged with one count of second degree animal cruelty is wrong and an insult to these poor animals
That these dogs continued to live in these conditions for two weeks after the authorities were aware of the situation is offensive

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/593115.html
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/galleries/gallery/594110-a594136-t3.html
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/594451.html

Animal shelters and rescue organizations are great sources to find your next family member. If you choose to get a pup from a breeder, PLEASE do your research and find an ethical breeder. You will not find pups from an ethical breeder at a pet store. Those poor pups come from situations like the one in the article above.

If you do not know how to determine which breeders are ethical, please contact that breed's national club for recommended breeders. Our parents thought they knew the right questions to ask when they found Eva through a local "breeder". Unfortunately, they did not see all of the warning signs and later they found that Eva's parents are from a commercial breeder (aka puppy mill).

Equally loved in spite of our little quirks,
Princess Eva & Brice

p.s. Don't worry - Momma didn't let us touch the bone that came from the sky

....and bones fell from the sky

2009-05-29T22:10:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned before that one of my duties is to go out and get the mail with Momma or Dad every day. Earlier this week, I hit the jackpot.! The mailman brought me a yummy smelling package addressed to "The Lovely Princess Eva". Woo-hoo!!! Mine!! All Mine!! But I heard those words "and I know that you'll share them with Brice". I'll admit that I like to share things with him but can I just pretend for a moment that they're all mine?

A big Thank You to Ransom for the treats!!

On to the reason for the post title.

It started as a typical day for us....

a little wrestling...

some zoomies.....

stop to cool our feety-feets and get a drink

Brice responding to an invitation from Eva

and it's off for more zoomies

As Brice was going around the willow tree, this bone fell from the sky and almost hit him in the head!!

Momma ran over to find out what Brice was sniffing at and noticed 3 young squirrels were playing way up in the tree. They must have worked together to figure out the aim and timing to drop this. It's about 4-5 inches long and very light so we think that it's part of a bird. We did ask the squirrels to make sure that it's fresher and has a little meat on it the next time they want to throw bones from the sky.

Woof ya later!

Princess Eva

New Wubba

2009-05-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

In the box that the big brown truck brought, was a new Wubba for the boy. A few days ago, Brice was not his bouncy normal self so Momma decided to not take us to the park that day and brought out the Wubba. For almost 24 hours, Brice ignored his toy so we knew that he wasn't feeling well.

The next day he must have been feeling better because he decided that it was Wubba time.

Brice likes to lay on the ottoman as he chews his toys.

Right before Momma and Dad sat down to dinner, Momma checked on him and Brice was playing nicely with his Wubba. Maybe he was upset that they wouldn't share their steaks but five minutes later when Momma realized that he was being very quiet and there wasn't a squeakie- squeakie sound coming from the living room, she decided to checked on him.

This is unexpected - he loves to chew on the legs/tassels but these look good.
No evidence of chewing on them.

And then we found the reason why his Wubba doesn't squeak

That is why we don't have a lot of toys.

Princess Eva

Wordless Wednesday - Mud Edition

2009-05-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Molly and Linus came to visit

2009-05-26T13:00:00.001-05:00

Molly and Linus (the neighbor's pups) came to stay with us for a few days. Brice was so excited that there were going to be more dogs to play with but unfortunately, Molly and Linus don't really play or do zoomies.

Eva: Who are these dogs and what are they doing in my house?

Molly and Linus

Brice can get a little grumpy when he's sleeping so Momma made them go home to their house to sleep at night. She thought it was in everyone's best interest if she didn't need to break-up any dogfights at 3am.

After they went home for the last time, Momma rewarded us with Frosty Paws for being good hosts.

Yummy - Peanut Butter is Princess Eva's favorite flavor

Brice finished his first and then tried to eat the paper cup

Woof ya later!

Princess Eva & Brice

Thanks, Hugs and Kisses

2009-05-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

We want to thank Khyra and her mom and the Thundering Herd for posting pictures of our Tasha. Words cannot convey what that meant to us. We also want to thank everyone for stopping by Tasha's anniversary post.

But to get the blog back to a happier tone, we wanted to share a video of how The Boy gives kisses. Sorry that it's so dark but Momma didn't want to disrupt the kisses by getting up to turn on more lights.

Brice approaches everything in his life with this type of enthusiasm. It can be very tiring to be around him 24/7 but we won't give him up for anything. He is one more thing that we thank Tasha for. She sent him to us.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice

It's been a year...

2009-05-24T00:00:00.002-05:00

It's been a year since the devastating day that Tasha went to the Rainbow Bridge. She was our beautiful, precious little girl and her world revolved around her Dad.

Tasha got very sick so fast. We tried everything that we could to find the cause and make her well but at the end, we just couldn't put her through another series of tests. In her way, she was telling us that it was time. It was not a decision that we wanted to make but it was time to ultimately show how much we loved her by easing her journey to the bridge and let her go with dignity, in our arms and knowing that she was loved. The last thing that she did as she was beginning to cross was give her dad a kiss. And the last thing that I whispered in her ear was that we loved her and to please send us a sign from the bridge that she understood.

Natasha Rae (Tasha)
9/97 - 5/24/08

We received several signs from her in the next several weeks and we still feel her spirit with us. We think of her often and we talk to her almost every week. She usually doesn't answer but we know that she is listening.

Warm light coming from far below,
Twinkling, sparkling is the candle's glow.
All is well up on the ridge,
The place we know as Rainbow Bridge.
Furbabies sleeping in heaven's light,
Tended by candles in the night.
Peaceful dreams be theirs to keep,
As they slumber in this night so deep.
Hearts on earth that miss them so,
Take comfort in the candle's glow.
Watching for them in skies above,
Bound eternally by a cord of love.
- Laura Hickman

Please hug your fur babies today and tell them how much they are loved.

Momma, Dad and Princess Eva

Ball and Squirrel

2009-05-23T00:30:00.001-05:00

Almost everyday, we play "ball and squirrel". I have my favorite tennis ball that Brice is not allowed to play with and Brice has a selection of scary flying things called "squirrels".

You'll see that our grass in the backyard is in bad shape near the patio. I think all the squirrels and bunnies stop there to "mark their territory".

Our Dad was up on the roof reattaching the vent cover that was blown into our yard on Thursday and took a camera with him. Somehow he managed to film proof that somepup seems to live a charmed life. Things always seem to work out in his favor.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

P.S. One of our pictures was nominated for Picture of the Month in the Bone Zone. Feel free to stop by and vote for us here.

A box and a Mission

2009-05-22T08:51:00.002-05:00

It came!! It came!! The big brown truck stopped at our house and gave us two packages! Some of the contents like the new clickers were more interesting for Momma than for us.

Normally, we wear chain collars when we're out on a walk but they have been damaging some of our coat so Momma ordered new limited-slip collars and matching leashes from White Pine Outfitters. These collars are suppose to be really good for long-furred or dual-coated pups. Since we are both, they should keep our neck fur long and lush. We'd post a picture but since you can't see collars on us, you wouldn't see anything different.

Some of the other items were much more exciting. There were dried anchovies and a backpack for Brice. He doesn't know it yet but there is also a new Wubba in there for him too. Momma is saving it for one of those rainy days where Brice is bouncing off walls and needs something to do.

Dried anchovies are really little but very tasty! I always take treats gently.

Brice is always ready to perform for his treats.

Brice is modeling his new backpack.
He's my new pack mule and has to carry my water when we go on walks.

It's going to be a big weekend for us. We're pupsitting Molly and Linus from down the street and Sunday is the one year anniversary of Tasha going to the Rainbow Bridge. We'll be making a special trip to Tasha's favorite dog park on Sunday morning to spread some of her ashes. Please give your pups an extra belly rub on Sunday morning in Tasha's honor.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

The Big Brown Truck

2009-05-21T10:20:00.001-05:00

Today we're watching out the front door. Momma said the big brown truck is going to drive down our street today and we want to make sure that he stops at our house.

While we're waiting, we'll share this video from yesterday.

Any guesses about what will be in the box??

Princess Eva & Brice

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-20T11:29:00.004-05:00

Brice was tired after a big day at the park last weekend.
Princess Eva would never pose this way.

Farm Dog

2009-05-19T15:15:00.003-05:00

A special gift came in the mail from Mason Dixie. Some yummy crunchy healthy treats from Farm Dog. A big THANK YOU to Mason Dixie!!!! We definitely bookmarked their site for future purchases - Momma is thinking about ordering some of their Healing Salve.

It's warm out there today. Yes, it's only 81F but here in Minnesota in May, that's toasty. So it's POOL TIME!!

Brice thinks we need a bigger pool....or at least a second pool

Brice rolled me a few times under the willow tree. My beautifully groomed coat is now tangled with willow "caterpillars".

Our parents both love and hate this willow tree

Then Momma snuck in an off-leash training session for Brice. She is starting to talk about me needing some training. Today I just watched closely to make sure that the boy was doing things correctly....and to get treats. Sorry the pics are dark, Momma was keeping us in the shade where it's cooler.

Brice's "Front" command. His little toes are touching Momma's toes and his eyes are locked on Momma.

For some reason, Brice "heels" better off -leash

I'm making sure that Brice "stays" until Momma returns and releases him.

A quick question for you all. Our parents are talking about taking us camping and boating this year and are concerned about our safety. Do any of you have "Water Protection Devices" aka Life Vests? If so, any brand that you would recommend to buy or stay away from?

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

p.s. Our blog roll seems to be acting up and not always showing us when you have a new post. So if we haven't commented it may be because the list is not telling us to get over and read your latest news. We'll try to chew it into submission.

Lake Sarah Dog Park

2009-05-16T23:10:00.001-05:00

Today for excitement, we went to buy kibble and treats. Normally, only good things happen at the store - everyone pets us and feeds us lots of treats. But today, it was the grand opening of the new location of our favorite store so lots of people and dogs were there. We saw Great Danes, Labs and Beagles. Brice decided to sniff a Chihuahua. BAD decision. It snarked at him!!! He's played with lots of little dogs at the park but this was the second time that he has been attacked by a Chihuahua. He stayed as far away from that little dog as he could for the rest of the time that we were in the store. Momma thinks that he may be scared of them now.

Sorry that we don't have any pics of the monster but Momma couldn't handle the camera since her hands were full of us, the big bag of kibble and a bunch of canned food and treats.

Then it was off to the Lake Sarah Dog Park. We've never been to this park before because it wasn't fully fenced until recently. It's 40 acres and fully fenced.

This park is basically flat with tall grass and a few bushes and trees.

Eva's snooter tells her that something interesting has been here.

Brice saw someone on the other side of the park. He has learned that when he sees other people at the park, there are usually other dogs nearby. He thinks he is the welcoming committee and is required to greet every dog.

A really nice lady showed up with her two pups. And she had treats so every time Brice caught a glimpse of her, he ran over and sat directly in front of her hoping to get treat for being a good boy.

But Momma has really been working on his recall and he usually comes running when he gets called back.

Not a very exciting park but it is big so we'll be back.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva & Brice

Party Weekend

2009-05-15T17:15:00.002-05:00

Our Dad left us for the weekend and went home to the farm for a wedding. For various reasons that we cannot post about, Momma stayed home with us and said that it's a PARTY weekend. First on the list was a trip to SONIC for lunch. Eva and I had to share an ice-cream because Somepup was implying that I was getting fat.

Then it was off to Cleary Lake Dog Park. This park is special because it has it's own swimmin' hole.

Eva: Come on in! The water is nice and cool on my feety-feet

Brice: See!!!! I'm NOT fat. I'm fluffy

Eva: I'd look just as skinny if I got more than my feety-feet wet

Brice: Momma kept throwing my floaty toy further out in the water. Eventually I had to swim to retrieve my toy.

Brice: Come a little closer. I feel the need to shake.

Momma asked us to do some zoomies to dry off a little.

We wonder what she has planned for us tomorrow?

Woof ya later,
Brice the Wet

p.s. Momma says that two wet long haired furry aromatic pups in the SUV does not make for a pleasant drive home. Especially since it started raining so the windows were up.

p.p.s. For anyone who watches American Idol - the video this week had a cameo appearance by two Belgian Malinios (our cousins) and a Dutch Shepherd. The Dutchie, the dog on the right, was tethered but the Mals were not.
http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_8/ford_music_videos/top_3_break_my_stride

Tuffy Toy Rating

2009-05-13T19:40:00.005-05:00

I have a new toy from Tuffy (home of allegedly the world's "tuff"est soft dog toy). My toy has a rating of "7" on a scale of 1-10 from the company. It was actually pretty good considering that I have jaws of steel and love to grind toys between my back teeth. I'm going to give this toy a rating of "4" because it did actually last a whole 2 hours spread out over the last day or two.

We've also been to the park a few times this week. Our backyard is not big enough for a really good round of zoomies.

I love to run with Eva but I wish the Greyhounds were here so that I could be the chaser and not the chasee.

Taking a break to catch our breath

Woof ya later,
Brice

Sunday Playdate

2009-05-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

We hope everymom had a great day yesterday. We started off the day with a playdate at the park with our neighbor-dogs Molly (chow/husky/?) and Linus (Otterhound). At the park, we met Madison a Finnish Lapphund.

Linus, Brice, Madison & Eva

Madison, Brice and Linus

Linus is actually a girl and and recently joined her new family. Her parents gave her a summer haircut.

Eva is going over to check on her Dad.

Brice and Madison

Brice and Molly

After the park we came home and took a nap while Momma and Dad did a little yard work. They're not big fans of our help in that area.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

I'm still hiding!

2009-05-10T00:15:00.000-05:00

I hear that Brice has been searching everywhere for me. Silly boy! If I'm not with him or Momma, I must be with my Dad.

Since Momma has been taking Brice out alone to work on his manners, Dad and I have been having some special outings of our own. Purgatory Creek Park is an unofficial off leash area since it is in a suburb that doesn't have leash laws. Momma and Dad really try to treat us the same so I rarely get to go there if Brice is with since he would have to remain on his leash.

Come on Dad!!! Lets get going.

Eva usually sticks to the paths.
Otherwise she gets a lot of foliage stuck in her fur.

This was a sweet older pup that I met at the park

Lots of woods, marsh and open areas to run in

Dad thinks it's fun to look between my ears to see what I'm looking at

Brice still doesn't know where I am yet. I'm going to let him keep looking.

Woof ya later,
Princess Eva

A very special p.s. Happy Mother's Day to you! We love our Momma and wouldn't trade her for anything.

Still searching for Eva

2009-05-08T20:30:00.001-05:00

She wasn't behind the bushes and not at the lake. I think I'll check the trails at Staring Lake Park to see if I can find Eva.

Let's try this trail

She wasn't there so we'll try another trail

Look! A trippy-trap bridge! I wonder if Eva is playing by the bridge

Don't see her on either side of the bridge

We're almost out of trails

We've checked all the trails, on the lakeshore and under the bridge.
I think we need to check another location.

Let's check here!

Nope! Eva's not at the bottom of this cup of ice cream.
Can we check another?

Momma suggested that we go home and ask Dad if he knows where Eva is.

Brice